Tortall's Twin
by Junipertree
Summary: This is basically a Tortall where everything is skewed- things don't turn out as they are supposed to. Please read, it's my first fanfic!! I changed it from PG on suggestion, but whatever.
1. The Story Twists

Part one-Alanna  
Chapter 1-The Story Twists  
  
Author's note- first the disclaimer; I did not create any characters in this story, TP did. This is a kind of place where everything is kind of skewed. I called it "Tortall's Twin" 'cause twins are a lot alike, and really different at the same time. The first bit is mostly to orient the reader, so don't dump it too soon. Do you think the first chapter is too short? Flame me if you want, but this is my first fanfic. Please R/R! Be honest, if it sucks, it sucks. The first part starts when Alanna is a squire.  
  
______________________________________________________________________  
  
Alanna's training was harder than ever, and Jonathan wasn't helping. His attitude had really begun to irk her lately, and as his squire she couldn't avoid him. And the way he looked at those court ladies! Each time he bowed and kissed one or their hands it was a blow to her femininity. Finally she went to Mrs. Cooper's house to get her fittings for a dress. After a while she had quite a collection, which she kept in a locked trunk at the end of her bed. Often she walked around town with George in her dresses, wearing a black wig for disguise. But the way George looked at her when she wore dresses scared her. One afternoon, before she had her knife-fighting lessons with him George was scaring her more than ever. Alanna and George circled and made a few passes, but Alanna could tell he was going easy on her. Finally George unbalanced her and pinned her shoulders to the ground. But he didn't move.   
  
"George?" asked Alanna. But George made no move to let her go. Alanna's heart started to pound. Slowly but surely he leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth. Alanna was shaking. She didn't know whether to be scared or exited. He kissed he again, and then blushed.  
  
"I shouldn' be doin' this," he said. "I just want you t'know that I love you, ignore me if you will."   
  
"George," she said weakly, "I think I love you too." And she drew him down to kiss him, long and passionate.   
  
After that Alanna didn't deny George anymore. Alanna loved George, she wanted to be with him. She often visited him, as much as she could.   
  
***  
  
"George," she asked him one day, "Have you seen Marek? He still owes me for that dice game he lost, even though I'm not giving him full charge."  
  
Marek's loss to Alanna was known to everyone in the court of the Rogue, it was the most laughed-at story between the thieves and flower girls. If Alanna had charged Marek for the full amount, it would have wiped him out of his life's savings.  
  
"Beginner's luck," he had said when Alanna had done the final toss.  
  
***  
  
"Y'know, I haven't seen him since-" his voice was cut off by a bucket on a string that crashed into the side of his head. Caught off-balance, he tripped over Old Solom's cat, Dixie, and crashed down the staircase behind it. He lay at the bottom, unmoving. Alanna could see Marek Swiftknife, George's friend and rival, standing to the side, looking horrified. This must have been another one of his schemes to get the throne of the Rogue. Alanna rushed down the stairs, taking them two at a time and cursing her cumbersome skirts, wishing she were in breeches. Upon reaching the bottom she could see that George's neck lay at lay at the wrong angle, his body was sprawled on the floor. Alanna put his hands in her own, the warmth fleeing from his veins and his cheeks turning white told her what she did not want to know.   
  
"No," she whispered. "No. No. No, no NO!!!" She kissed him again and again, half believing that if she did it enough he would come back to life. She flooded him with her Gift, but to no avail. She held him in her arms, crying and holding his empty corpse tight. She saw Marek.  
  
"You! You killed him! You killed George!" She pounded him, clawing him with hands weakened by pain. Alanna cried, burying her face in Marek's shoulder, wishing to the gods that George were alive; but even her Gift couldn't bring him back, no matter how hard she tried.  
  
_________________________________________________________________________  
  
Is that good, or should I just retreat in tears, a hopeless writing case forever? R/R, or I won't write anymore (that one works every time)!  



	2. Secretly

Chapter 2-Sittin' in a Tree, Secretly

Ok, disclaimer, I didn't create any of the characters in the story, the Almighty Tamora Pierce did. I am writing this nearly right after writing the first chapter and I am probably going to post them at the same time, so I don't know if anyone even likes this. This thing is going to get twisted, you can bet on that. I am presently trying to make it weirder. I am also working on like a million other stories at the same time, readying for the time when the stupid email will get through and I can start posting my stuff. PS: thoughts are in Italics.

______________________________________________________________

Alanna never seemed to get over George's death. After she told Jon, Gary, and Raoul, she seemed kind of withdrawn. She would often go for long walks without reason, coming back late and receiving punishment duties. Never enough to get her kicked out, but still.... Alanna tried to take Faithful's advice. _He's dead. You aren't sorry for George, you're sorry for yourself. Get over it._

"Oh yes, Faithful, you are such a kind and considerate person." she said, 

Looking at the trunk at the end of her bed, Alanna thought of George, and how they used to go for walks through the city, flaunting her new dress and buying this and that. Without George, she wouldn't have Moonlight. Without George, she would never have found love. Alanna felt like she was going to cry again, but somehow, so many George tears had come out that Alanna didn't think she had any more left. She opened the trunk and put on her favorite dress, one that George had said brought out her eyes. With some small, ladylike slippers on, Alanna silently left her room and went into the gardens. The moon was full and bright, and she left her cloak on the bench to take a walk in the light of the stars. Upon returning, she noticed that a man was sitting on the bench. He looked up, saw her, and handed her the cloak. 

"I think this is yours," Gary said. "Come sit by me."

Alanna nearly blanched and run away, but then she thought: _What if he thinks it strange that I run away and recognizes me? Better put him off track while I can._ Alanna had already sat down on the bench before she realized that she had forgotten her black wig. It was still in her room, locked away in her trunk. _Oh, well, too late now. _

"What's your name, lady?" he asked. "You may have heard of me, I'm Gareth."

Alanna feigned confusion. "I thought you were older."

"I'm Sir Gareth the Younger. My father is Sir Gareth."

"Delighted to meet you, Sir Gareth." Alanna grappled for a name. "I'm Arabia."

"Funny," he said, looking at her, "You look familiar, though I haven't heard your name before."

"Oh, I probably look like someone you know. Everyone says that. My father says I look like everybody, and the name stuck, and now people call be Everybody."

Gary chuckled. "I still can't shake the feeling that-" Then he really looked closely at her. "Shakith!" he whispered. "_Alan?_" He started to turn pale. "_Please _don't tell me you have this obscure passion for cross-dressing."

Alanna soaked in what he had said, and buried her face in her hands. "I'm a girl, Gary. My real name is Alanna. And I swear by Mithros and the Goddess that if you tell anyone I will kill you."

Gary looked as if he was swallowing a large peach stone. "Are you nuts?" he asked finally. "What made you think that you could pull something like this off? What if someone found you out? And Mithros above, Why, why, _why _did you even think of trying it?!? Mithros, Uncle will have fits."

Alanna explained everything, from her and Thom switching places to the Black City. She even told him (haltingly) about her romance with George. "So now you know it all." she said. 

Gary was stupefied. "Alan-Alanna, I have no idea how you did it. All that time not swimming, no wonder we never saw you bare! All I can say, Alanna, is that you are the most amazing person, male or female, that I have ever met."

And he swept her up in a passionate kiss, Holding her tight and go of years of strong friendship, now magnified into passion and love. Alanna just let him kiss, and then held him just as tightly, thinking that George would want her to be happy, and just wishing that this moment would never end.

______________________________________________________________

Aw, isn't that sweet, and twisted!!!! Bye-bye Jon, Gary is in the house!!! Tell me if you think it is too short (I always say this) and flame me to hell all you A/J lovers, though don't get me too hard, A/G lovers, 'cause they were madly in love before George was hit by a flying bucket ;) I would now like to say that GARY ROCKS!!!! I just had to let that out. R/R, please! PS, It's going to get less romantic later, probably. Do you like fluff? I can always add more *winks again*.


	3. Wars and Jonathan

Chapter 3-Wars and Jonathan

OK, I know you guys all hate me for killing off George and making it Gary instead of Jon. I really appreciate anyone's ideas, I am starting to run short of them for this story. But what the hell, I have lots of time. Things are getting even more skewed, though I am going to keep names the way they are for now, 'cause it would cause a lot of confusion if I changed 'em. I really don't know what to do about Duke Roger.... Disclaimer, I didn't create any of the characters yada yada yada. On with the show. PS, things might get weird 'cause I'm listening to lame music.

______________________________________________________________

Alanna and Gary seemed perfect for each other, though Alanna still felt guilt about George. But they were getting careless. Someone suspected...

One day (lame phrase) Alanna was practicing her fencing with Coram's big old sword in front of her mirror when she heard a knock on the door. She put down her sword, sweating. 

"Come in!" she called. Jonathan came in, looking serious. 

Somehow Alanna didn't notice his look. "Hi Jon. I was just practicing my fencing."

Jon forced her to look at him. "You're in love with Gary, aren't you?" he asked softly. "And me a blind fool not to have seen it before."

Alanna shook him off. "I don't know what love is," she said uncomfortably. "At least, not the kind you're talking about- the forever kind." (Deja-vu...)

"Alanna, tell me. I'm your best friend. I've seen the way you look at each other. Tell me the truth."

Alanna could tell that he was hurt. Who wouldn't be? "Well, what was I supposed to say? Hey Jon, me'n Gary are having an affair?"

Jonathan smiled weakly and ran his fingers through his hair. "You're my friend, Alanna. I just want you to tell me these things." and without a word, he left and went back to his room. Alanna had half a mind to go back and apologize, but decided against it. What would she apologize for? 

__

I'd better start being more careful. Damn it! Why is Jon so protective sometimes? She sighed and went back to her practicing. 

***

**__**

Flash-forward to the Tusaine war, sorry if I got timelines messed up....

Alanna readied for her first real fight, pulling on quilt-lined breeches and the loose clothing most foot soldiers wore. She triple-checked Moonlight and Darkness' saddles, and cinched the girths tight. Now all she had to do was wait. It was easy. She hated it. Finally the call to muster was sound, and she mounted Moonlight. With a pang she remembered George, though it didn't hurt as much as it once did. She fingered her ring, a Midwinter present from Gary. Should she really feel so guilty? That thought was quickly pushed out of her mind as the flood of soldiers marched to attack. 

"Tortall for Trebond!" she yelled, wading into the thick of the battle. She fought, cut, and slashed automatically. Blocking the mace of an enemy knight, she felt a line of fire across her chest and stomach. Some bastard had hit her when she was fighting someone else. _Figures, _she thought, and cursed. _Wasn't paying attention._ She was making her way over to protect Jonathan and the circle of knights around him when Raoul saw her. 

His eyes widened, simultaneously blocking and talking. "Mithros, Alan, we need to get a healer!" 

Alanna didn't hear his last words. She was already unconscious, fallen off her horse.

______________________________________________________________

I know that was kinda short, but I can't resist a cliffhanger. Will Alanna live, or will she get trampled by enemy soldiers?!? Tune in next time to find out! PS, for all you smartos who recognized the deja vu, it was in The Hand of the Goddess, pg. 151 & 152. Alanna was talking to George about Jon, not to Jon about Gary. I need reviews, I live on 'em, so please R/R or you'll never know what happens! *laughs wickedly*. 


	4. Revealed

Chapter 4-Revealed

More twistedness. I know. You can expect lots of weird stuff. That's about the only thing you can expect. I try, and fail, to make less romance. It just always seems to drift that way!!! I would like to say that I wrote almost all of ths before I posted it, and I am just doing this to get you with cliffhangers. Mua ha ha ha ha! Disclamer, I didn't create any characters in this story, though I would sell my teeth for 'em. This may get morbid, I'm listening to emenem. (sudden change of tune- now we have "I'm like a Bird")

______________________________________________________________

Alanna woke up in a tent, empty exept for herself. The first thing that she noticed was she wore no shirt, and her entire midsection was covered in bandages. She started to turn pale. _Do they know? Did Jon do anything? Did he even _try_? _Inspite of herself, Alanna of Trebond started to cry. All those years. For nothing. All the lying, the pretending. For nothing. Then she saw someone at the door flap of the tent.

"Go away." she said, her voice hoarse. She pulled the blankets over her head, wincing as her barely healed cut pulled and started to bleed again. 

"Alanna..." Raoul said.

"How did you know my name?" If Alanna was suprised, she gave no sign of it. 

"Jon and Gary told me. Listen, Ala-Alanna, noboby else knows. I took you back to the tent when you fell off Moonlight. Gary saw me and followed. He tried to stop me taking off your shirt, to see the wound." Raoul blushed. "Finally he told me. A while later Jon came in and healed you. A bit, anyways. We stopped anybody else coming in until you had woken up. But Alan, why didn't you tell any of us before? We're your friends."

"Are you going to turn me in?" Alanna said softly, fearing the answer.

"Mithros, no. All that work? You earned the right to try for your shield years ago." Raoul kneeled down. "I think you could do anything you want, Lady Squire."

Alanna felt she was getting used to this. _Goddess. Every time someone finds out that I'm a girl, they go and do something like this. Is all the world crazy? _But before Alanna could respond, Raoul had swept he up in a kiss. _I think I'm getting to like this, _she thought, and retourned his kisses. 

***

When Alanna woke again, Raoul was gone, leaving her with her thoughts. _Is it because I'm pulling this off? Are males atracted to deceit or something? _She snorted and dismissed the idea. _It's not beauty. None of them have ever seen me in a dress. Exept George. I wonder what he thinks of me now? Would he be mad? Or happy? _It was too much for one Lady Squire to make sense of. Painfully, she got up and started to dress. _They're my friends. Not my...lovers? That makes it sound as if I have some kind of harem. Jon hasn't done anything, yet. Maybe he feels it's his royal duty or something. Or is he...jealous?_

Alanna tried to push these ideas out of her mind, and went to the mess tent to get some grub. She was starving! _How long has it been since I've eaten?_ she pondered. _Days._ She went to a table, her plate piled high with food. She gobbled it down in what felt like three seconds flat. In about five minutes she wished that she hadn't. All those men that she had killed came back to her, haunting. All the blood, the gore. Alanna ran outside the tent and heaved up all the lunch she had eaten into the bushes. 

***

**__**

Flash forward to before the Ordeal...

"...You will be a Knight of the Realm. You will be sworn to protect those weaker than you, to obey your overlod, to live in a way that honors your kingdom and your gods..."

Alanna listened closely, still fresh and clean from her sacramental bath. None of it was new to her, but now it meant more than anything. Her hands shook, and she kept them clasped tight behind her back to keep Gary and Raoul from seeing. She had wanted Jon to instruct her, but he had declined. _Is he mad at me? Why is he being so distant?_

Alanna dully found herself being pushed into the Chapel of the Ordeal, where she sat for what seemed like hours and minutes at the same time. Dark robed priests helped her to her feet as she walked towards the Chamber. _Oh, gods. This is it. _ Alanna slowly walked towards the open door, dreading the blackness inside. Where was Jonathan? How come he wasn't here to give her luck? Then right before she reached the Chamber, a figure came running. It was Jon.

"Stop! Stop!" he cried. "Alan can't go in the Chamber! Alan of Trebond is a _girl_!"

______________________________________________________________

Mua ha ha ha ha! Is Jon really such an asshole? Why does he give Alanna away? Find out in the next episode of _Tortall's Twin, Part 1: Alanna._ Another disclaimer: The exerpt from the code of knighthood was also taken straight from In the Hand of the Goddess. Please R/R, I live on your reviews!!!


	5. The Ordeal

Chapter 5- The Fight for the Ordeal

OK, I know that you are all desperately waiting for the sequel to the biggest cliffhanger of all time- so I'll try to make it short. Thanks to Jaelawyn Noble for being the first person to review my story!! Disclaimer: I didn't create any characters in this story, TP did.

__________________________________________________________________

Alanna just stood there, in shock. How could Jon give her away? She clutched her emberstone for support. She was jolted out of her daze by seeing Jonathan's skin literally soaked in orange fire. _Roger! _she thought, _I knew he was behind this!!_ Alanna noticed the doors of the Chamber were slowly closing, she had to get in! Pushing through the mass of people that had gathered, she reached the Chamber and squeezed herself in. She then felt herself being squished. _ Oh, Goddess, I'm going to be trapped in the doors! _With one final push, she threw herself into the Chamber of the Ordeal. The last sliver of light disappeared, leaving her in the dark.

***

**__**

After the Ordeal...

Alanna stumbled out of the Chamber, her hands torn and bloody. A seething mob rose to surround her.

"Cheat! Girl!"

Alanna ran as fast as her exausted legs could carry her. She ran until she thought the muscles in her legs would disintegrate, leaving her lying on the road. She didn't stop until she had reached the palace, fighting for breath. _I've got to do it. I know what Duke Roger has planned. Oh, Goddess, give me strength._ She saw Faithful, twining around her legs and purring loudly. She finally reached the doors the the Duke's private chambers. She didn't have much time left, the mob would surely catch up soon. She reached into her Gift and _pushed, _exploding the lock.

***

**__**

Upon leaving the Duke's chambers...

Alanna opened the door and braced herself for what she knew would come. Suprizingly, no one was there. She realaxed, cradling the stolen items from the Duke's chambers. She walked throuought the castle, looking for a spot where there was a large audience of people, including the King. Twice she had to skitter off her path to avoid people. Finally she came to the Great Audience Chamber, where the Royal family and the King's advisors were talking about the problem at hand. Another suprise: the traditional feast was in full swing, despite the turn of events. Then they saw Alanna. By now the story had spread all around the palace, everyone knew. She walked up the the front, unashamed of her femininity.

"Your Royal Majesties," she bowed. "I know I am probaably not the most trusted of people right now, but would you have let me become a knight if you knew that I was a girl?" 

No one spoke or moved. Alanna noticed, to her somewhat relief, that her brother Thom was there.

"I have done yet another wrong thing. I broke into a man's chamber's just now. What I found- is far worse than what I did. Should I show their Majesties, Your Grace, the images of all important members of court wrapped up in a veil? Should I show them , Duke Roger, the image of the Queen wasting away under a fountain?"

The Queen recoiled at the worn and faint image of herself.

"Should I show you all the focus of Prince Jonathan, the focus that you used to control his mind and body?"

Alanna lifted up a curl of Jonathan's hair, as Jon rubbed a spot on his head where the hair was shorter than the rest. 

Duke Roger stood up from his seat, knocking the chair over. "This is the most pathetic and scandalous lie I have ever heard! How, your Majesties, can you believe the very girl who lied about he gender for eight years? I say that "Squire Alan" has created these images herself, to scandalize me in front of the court!"

"Oblection," said Sir Gareth of Naxen, the Elder. "Alan has now undergone the Ordeal, and passed. Exept for the traditonal ceremony, Alanna of Trebond is now a knight."

Alanna was suprised. Why would the Duke vouch for her like that?

"I challenge Duke Roger of Conte to a duel, to prove to this kingdom that he conspired to kill their Majesties so that he could gain the throne." said Alanna.

"I accept." said the Duke. "I will win by right of the gods, because I say that I am innocent! As the accused, I state the time. Let is be now, before "Sir Alanna" spreads further lies against me."

"Done," Alanna said, while mentally cursing. Of course he would want to do it now, while she was still weak from the Ordeal. "Let us go to the fencing courts."

***

**__**

After her bout with the Duke...

"Are you sure you want to leave?" asked Raoul.

"Positive. I want to spend the rest of the winter being _warm._" 

"I'll come with you," said Gary. He seemed so persistent that Alanna didn't even try to make him stay. On they went, with the devoted Coram in tow, her lioness shield at her side, and Faithful in his saddlecup, onward to adventure.

__________________________________________________________________

Nice, huh? I might just end the Lioness story like that, and give a little blurb on what happened next. I probably will. If people give me enough ideas, I might continue on with even more twisted stuff. Only you can decide..... Please R/R, if I get enough I probably will continue. Though I am aching to go on to part two. I had you thinking Jon was evil for a while there, didn't I? No matter, I'm not that anti-Jon.


	6. Epilogue

Alanna Blurb Ending

Ok, this is basically just and ending blurb about what happened to Alanna after everything. I didn't really have enough ideas or patience, so this is it. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, it kept me going.

_________________________________________________________________

After the scandal and having herself revealed, Alanna went south to the Bazhir, just like in the book, only Gary went along. She becomes shaman and everything. Then she gets the map from the doomed sorceress, and goes on the whole Dominion Jewel thing. Liam goes with her, but their relationship never went farther than a few kisses. She brings it back, but fearing that no one would believe that she had really done it, and that they would think she had stolen it or that the Jewel was a fake, she set up a weird light and things scene with her Gift so it looked like the gods had given it to Jon. Thayet still marries King Jonathan. Turns out that all that stuff she did affected her position in court and she never became King's Champion, and the law was never passed that girls could become knights, only the Queen's Riders. Alanna lives peacefully among the Bazhir with Gary and is a legend among them (for the Black City) that way. She has children, twins, Thom and George, plus two girls and a boy, Maude, Alianne, and Coram. But she is still known among people as an amazing swordsperson and the gal who killed Duke Roger, twice. Plus the one Lady Knight.

___________________________________________________________________

Watch out for more, I am still doing part two, Daine, part two-and-a-half, Daine, after, and part three, Kel. I know you're asking, how can she become a page when no law is passed? Well, to give a hint, she doesn't have anything to do with the pages or the Riders, but she doesn't become a lady, either. Try to guess...


End file.
